1. Invention Disclosure
An embodiment of this invention was described in an invention Disclosure Document, No. 419,974, filed on May 27, 1997, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
2. The Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of organizers. More specifically, this invention relates to backpacks containing supplies and tools.
3. The Relevant Technology
Writing and drawing are forms of communication and expression which are central to human life and have been for centuries. While a great deal of writing and drawing occurs in an office or home setting in which an individual has ready access to a table or other writing surface, it is common for authors, artists, and draftsmen to travel to remote locations in order to write or draw.
Artists, for example, travel to a scenic environment, a street corner or another remote location in order to record their surroundings on paper. Writers often abandon the busy and hectic atmosphere of urban life in order to find peace in the outdoors, such as in a park, on a beach, or in the mountains. Others attempt to draw or write while traveling in an automobile or airplane.
For each of these writing and drawing enthusiasts, their decision to write or draw in these remote locations presents a variety of advantages, such as those listed, but also presents certain challenges, including finding a convenient writing surface on which to express themselves. For example, upon arriving at a park, a writer must often search for a surface upon which to place a piece of paper in order to begin writing.
It is not uncommon for a writer or artist to carry a clipboard, a pad of paper or a book to a remote location, then draw or write on the pad of paper or on a piece of paper placed on the book, clipboard, or pad. A difficulty associated with typical portable writing supplies, however, is that the writing supplies must be transported by either holding onto the writing supplies, placing the supplies in a vehicle, or placing the supplies in a bag, backpack or other temporary storage container while travelling to the remote location. Upon arriving at a desired destination, the user must remove the paper and a clipboard or a book out of the temporary storage container in order to begin writing or drawing.
While the simple process of removing a piece of paper from a container, then placing the piece of paper onto a surface which permits writing on the paper may not be cumbersome for the individual who has brought a book or clipboard or arrived at a location with a bench, this process is particularly cumbersome when the artist or writer fails to bring a book or clipboard or is confined within an enclosed space, such as an automobile or airplane.
Particularly children are susceptible to becoming frustrated if they would like to entertain themselves in an automobile, airplane, bus, train or other mode of transportation by writing or drawing if their supplies are disorganized and if they must balance a paper on top of a book on their lap. The frustration of children often results in behavioral outbursts, which can result in parental frustration.
In addition to the frustration of transporting a book or clipboard to a remote location in order to provide a surface on which to write, the writing supplies transported also tend to become disorganized and damaged if merely stuffed into a backpack or bag. Although certain backpacks and bags have been designed with pouches and other holding devices, these backpacks and bags are generally designed to be placed away from a specific work area, such as on the floor or in a neighboring chair once the user arrives at a location and removes the writing supplies therefrom.
While it is possible in some circumstances to keep a bag having organizing compartments close by while writing or drawing, such as when the user is sitting at a table and places the bag on the table, it is often inconvenient or impossible to keep the bag with organizing compartments within a work area, such as when riding in an automobile or airplane. Furthermore, since typical backpacks and bags are designed to be comprised of a lightweight, pliable, woven material, the material often used is typically not suitable for writing thereon or for placing a piece of paper thereon in order to write on the paper.
Another related problem within the art relates to workers who carry supplies and tools to remote locations, then desire a work surface upon which to manipulate items. Plumbers, repairmen, electricians, construction workers, and a host of other individuals, for example, often carry supplies and tools to a remote location, then desire a flat area on which to manipulate parts and other objects only to find that they are working in a cumbersome space in which a flat surface is not readily available. While it is possible to carry tools and supplies in a bag or backpack and carry a separate work surface which is suitable for manipulating the tools and supplies on, this practice is often inconvenient and cumbersome.